The Best Carpet Cleaners

Let’s be honest — when it comes to properly cleaning your home, the carpeted spaces in your house are often an afterthought. The carpeting in your living room doesn’t command your cleaning attention in the same way your kitchen or a heavily-used bathroom does.

Which is why most homeowners will quickly run a vacuum cleaner over the carpeting in their living room or bedroom and call it clean.

The best carpet cleaners will clean deeper, removing dirt and invisible-to-the-eye debris, not just skimming the surface like a vacuum does.

12 Best Carpet Cleaners: Our Favorites

1. Rug Doctor Mighty Pro X3

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Keeping your home clean in a house full of pets isn’t the easiest goal to achieve. This is nowhere more true than in regard to your rugs and carpets. However, the brand new Mighty Pro X3 Pet Pack is able to keep your rugs cleaner than any other comparable item we have come across. In fact, this handy deep cleaner contains pretty much everything you will need to keep your home spic and span.

The Mighty Pro X3 Pet Pack comes with a full range of new features. These include the Rug Doctor Mighty Pro X3 deep cleaner that is designed to complete refresh and renew your rugs and carpets. The Mighty Pro X3 makes use of a state of the art design that incorporates a new combination of single-pass cleaning and multi-directional fiber brushes.

Thanks to this unique system, the Mighty Pro X3 is able to outperform all of its competitors. Whether you need to start your floor cleaning plan by spraying or scrubbing your carpet clean, or begin by extracting stains and dirt from your rug, the Rug Doctor Mighty Pro X3 Pet Pack is guaranteed to come in handy.

The unique new three step cleaning process will have your home looking and smelling like a brand new property in no time. This is excellent news for home and pet owners alike. While we have seen a few products that come close, there truly is nothing quite like the Rug Doctor Mighty Pro X3.

2. Bissell Big Green Professional Carpet Cleaner

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It isn’t always easy to share a house with children and pets. One of the biggest casualties is always going to be cleanliness. This is why we are so pleased to be able to recommend a new deep cleaning system known as the Bissell Big Green Professional Carpet Cleaner. It isn’t the first in-house deep cleaning system to be offered on the market, but it’s by far the best one we’ve come across in years.

The new Bissell Big Green Professional Carpet Cleaner comes equipped with a full range of features that set it apart from competing models. Among these are its amazingly lightweight construction.

Even though the model is full sized and quite imposing, it weighs no more than an average sized carpet cleaner. Extra kudos go to the Bissell company for being able to devise a unit that can suck up more dirt than competing models without ever becoming an non-portable monster.

Finally, there are a range of features that should probably be mentioned. The Bissell Big Green Professional Carpet Cleaner comes complete with an outsized power brush that is designed to give your carpet the deep scrub it needs to remove stubborn stains.

The unit also features a heavy-duty suction hose that allows your carpet to dry more quickly than ever. If you want to clean the room all at one go, there are two tanks to call upon in order to do so. This is one unit that wins our highest recommendation.

3. Bissell ProHeat 2X Revolution Pet Pro

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If you are a home and pet owner, you’re already well versed in the ongoing struggle to keep your rugs and carpets clean. This is why you should take an interest in the brand new Bissell ProHeat 2X Revolution Pet Pro. This handy cleaning system comes complete with a full range of features that are bound to catch the eye of home owners everywhere.

One of its most unique components is a handy new Professional Pet Urine Eliminator. As its name suggests, its function is to deep clean pet urine out of your rugs and carpets. It comes complete with a specially designed Oxy Formula that takes care of the lingering odor caused by these unfortunate “accidents.”

The Bissell ProHeat 2X Revolution Pet Pro also includes a special 2-in-1 Upholstery Tool whose purpose is to deep clean your furniture. If you have issues with pet waste or hair cluttering up your chairs, divans, or couches, this is a feature that will prove most useful. We used it to deep clean pet hair off the couches in our home and were more than pleased with the quick and long lasting results.

We were also very impressed with the very short period that it took our rugs and carpets to dry out after being subjected to such a deep and thorough cleaning. The total time that elapsed from start to finish was roughly an hour. For all of these reasons, we highly recommend this unit.

4. Bissell Crosswave

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Bissell’s Crosswave is a fantastic combination of wet and dry cleaning. It’s a device that allows you to switch from cleaning carpets to taking care of dry floors in seconds, all without requiring you to do any kind of laborious part changing. It’s the ultimate in convenience for those with multiple surfaces in their homes.

There are a few really nice features on this unit. The best, of course, is how well it cuts down on household clutter. It’s really rare to see a combination of wet and dry cleaning but this one does both with ease. It’s maneuverable and easy to use, so you’re definitely not going to regret pulling it out when you need to clean things up. There’s a shortage of good attachments, but that’s fine because the device is so good at what it does. It’s exactly what you need if you are sick of trying to cart around two different cleaning devices.

So, what’s the downside of this one? In short, it’s not nearly as convenient as it could be. There are a ton of little things that are missing here – no stable headlight, the cord’s too short, and there’s not water level indicator. These are little things, of course, and not the sort of thing that will turn most people off from buying the Crosswave but they’re important enough to note. This particular unit does its job very well, but it would be very nice to have the minor conveniences that so many other similar models include.

5. Rug Doctor Deep Carpet Cleaner

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The Rug Doctor Deep Carpet Cleaner has become one of the world’s most sought after cleaning units. There is good reason for this continued acclaim. The unit comes complete with a wide range of standard features, along with a number of new innovations that other competing units have so far not been able to answer.

One of the most important features associated with the Rug Doctor Deep Carpet Cleaner is its amazingly efficient drying out time. In fact, other leading critics have found that the Deep Carpet Cleaner contains an average of 75 percent more suction power than its leading competitors. This kind of efficiency is hard to match, much less excel.

What this means for you is that the Deep Carpet Cleaner will lead to a clean and dry rug or carpet within a very short period of time, on average just less than an hour. This means that you can use the unit to take care of tough and long lasting stains while still leaving yourself enough time to plan other cleaning activities around the house that require your urgent attention.

The other standard features that the Deep Carpet Cleaner employs are enough to give it a high status among top of the line models. However, its vast suction power is the feature that puts it at the top of your “must buy” list. This is one model that we believe will be leading the pack for many years to come.

6. HOOVER Power Scrub Deluxe

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If you share your home with children and pets, you are no doubt concerned with keeping your rugs and carpets clean. This is an issue that will take on a new significance with each new “accident” that occurs. For this reason, Hoover has developed a new Power Scrub Deluxe model that is sure to capture your attention.

This new model comes packed with a deluxe range of features, including a newly redesigned suction hose that measures a full 8 feet in length. It also includes a special upholstery tool that allows the unit to be used on your furniture.

This latter feature will be a hit with families that deal with pets that regularly recline or sleep on the furniture or stairs. The unit employs a forced air system that guarantees a quick drying time after your rugs and carpets have been thoroughly cleaned of pet waste and fur.

It should also be noted that the entire Hoover Power Scrub Deluxe unit weighs a total of 19 pounds. This means that you won’t have to risk hurting your back while you transport the unit to areas that require your immediate attention. It also makes it a convenient item to be employed by older family members.

All in all, the Hoover Power Scrub Deluxe is a model that lives up to the promise of its name. It’s highly portable, very effective, and inexpensive to purchase. For these reasons, we give this unit a definite two thumbs up.

7. Hoover Max Extract

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Sometimes you can figure out exactly what a product is meant to do from the name. That’s certainly the case with the Hoover Max Extract, which is a fantastic carpet cleaner meant to get everything out of your carpets.

The Max Extract is one of those carpet cleaners that really falls into a homeowner’s sweet spot. It’s small, but not so small that you’ll have to change out the tank too often. Instead, it’s easy to carry – but still has a nice wide cleaning unit in order to cover more area faster. The brushes really are as strong as advertised and they’ll pick up stains that most other carpet cleaners won’t touch. The whole unit is even easy to clean out, which will save you a number of headaches when it’s time to store the Max Extract away after cleaning.

The only real issues with the unit come in terms of durability. Unfortunately, something this size that uses this much power is going to have a tendency to get broken parts. Fortunately, there’s actually a really good warranty with this model. Breakage tends to happen well within the warranty period if it is going to happen at all, so you won’t be on the hook for those problems. It’s a good idea to pay attention to any problems early on, though, so you can avoid any issues while you are cleaning. Fortunately, though, most owners are going to have to worry about any problems.

8. BISSELL Multi-Purpose Portable Carpet and Upholstery Cleaner

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If you own pets, it’s easy to love them but irritating to have to continually clean up after them. Many solutions to pet mess cleanup have been developed, but few have proven satisfactory in the long run. However, this trend may have finally come to an end. The Bissel Multi-Purpose Portable Carpet and Upholstery Cleaner is a new unit that has quickly become popular among home owners the world over.

This latest Bissell model has quickly become one of the company’s best selling units and it’s not hard to see why. Its small size highlights its ability to reach into deep, dark spaces where other units are too big and bulky to venture. Despite its relatively small stature, the unit does pack a punch. Its 48 ounce dirty tank capacity will ensure that big and small messes alike are quickly suctioned up.

If you worry about the effect using such a device may have on the environment, you should take note that the new Multi-Purpose Portable Carpet and Upholstery Cleaner is composed of recycled plastic. Its tanks and hose contain no PVC materials of any kind. However, this does not mean that the product is a lightweight. It performed very well under our most stringent and drawn out testing conditions.

Home owners will be well pleased with The Multi-Purpose Portable Carpet and Upholstery Cleaner. All in all, it’s a good mid-sized, mid-priced unit that will keep your home clean without breaking your budget.

9. Bissell Turboclean Powerbrush

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The new Bissell Turboclean Powerbrush Pet Upright Carpet Cleaner Machine and Carpet Shampooer may be a mouthful to type, but a godsend to homes with pets. In fact, at a whopping 12 whole pounds, it’s by far the lightest upright carpet cleaner model in Bissell’s current arsenal. If you’re looking for an easily portable rug and carpet cleaner, this one comes highly recommended.

The Turboclean Powerbrush is already garnering a great deal of acclaim due to its inclusion of a specially designed 2 Tank System. This special dual tank system keeps clean and dirty water completely separate from its each other so as to ensure that the unit will not be contaminated in the course of sucking up pet grime, urine, and other types of stains.

True to its name, the unit employs a 4-Row rotating dirt lifter power brush. When this brush is combined with powerful suction capacity, its ability to uproot and suction dirt is truly unparalleled. It’s also great for getting coffee and tea stains off of your couches and chairs.

This new Turboclean Powerbrush unit combines a rare facility for dirt removal with an easy portability that is rare in a device of this kind. The device is collapsible to ensure its ability to be easily packed up and transported to any location that you desire to use it in. It’s also priced very attractively. For these reasons, the unit is sure to be a favorite among households where pets and children are at their most active.

10. BISSELL PowerLifter PowerBrush

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While there are many clever carpet cleaners on the on the market, sometimes you just need something that works. The Powerlifter from Bissell doesn’t feature a ton of amazing gadgets or fancy tech, but it does get rid of stains with ease. This makes it a must-have for most consumers.

The Powerlifter really does lift out stains with power. If you’ve never cleaned the apartments in your home, you’ll be amazed by how much grime it can get out. With a relatively large reservoir, it can also keep going for quite some time – you’ll definitely be able to finish one or two rooms before switching out the water. It’s efficient and easy to use, with a few great attachments that will allow you to carpet clean in even the trickiest of places. It’s a beast of a machine in the best way.

This machine isn’t perfect, though. Almost every problem with the unit can be boiled down to the fact that it has a ludicrously small filter. If you have perfectly picked up every bit of pet hair or loose fiber on your carpet, this filter is going to get clogged up quickly. Unfortunately, when the filter gets clogged it stops the unit from working properly. It can be cleaned easily, though – you just have to understand that cleaning the filter is a regular part of maintenance. If you can put up with that, you’ll remain impressed with this unit.

11. Bissell SpotClean Professional Portable Carpet Cleaner

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Keeping your home clean is hard enough as a single person. Just imagine a full house complete with a spouse, a family, and your fair share of pets. You’re going to be spending a lot of time picking up after any or all of the above listed individuals. For this reason, it helps to have a handy portable carpet cleaner to keep the dirt and grime under control.

The brand new Bissell SpotClean Professional Portable Carpet Cleaner is being hailed as one of the most effective new cleaning units on the market. The unit comes complete with a specially designed 5 flex hose that allows the user to clean up hard to reach spots. This means you can finally clean stairs, furniture, area rugs, and a variety of nooks, crannies, and crevices.

With a hose length of 4 feet, you’ll be able to reach spots that few other cleaning units have ever been able to negotiate. Meanwhile, thanks to the handy 22 foot power cord, you’ll be able to get a great deal of cleaning done before you have to plug into a new power source. With the purchase of this item, you will also receive a special 8oz Professional Deep Cleaning formula.

You really can’t go wrong with the new Bissell SpotClean Professional Portable Carpet Cleaner. It’s portable, lightweight, and inexpensive. If you have been searching for a handy new carpet cleaner, this new Bissell unit comes highly recommended.

12. Rug Doctor Portable Spot Cleaner

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When it comes to rug and carpet cleaners, portability has long been an issue. You don’t want to skimp on quality, especially if there are children and pets to contend with on a daily basis. But you also don’t want to risk breaking your back by having to lug around a giant full sized cleaning unit. Luckily, there is an amazing new device out on the market that truly gives you the best of both worlds.

The new Rug Doctor Portable Spot Cleaner is a true life saver. You won’t be covered in sweat from absorbing heat and steam after using this model. This is because the new Rug Doctor unit makes use of a special steam-free system that allows it to do its job without broiling its owner.

The unit makes use of a special suction device that works to remove stubborn stains in a very short period of time. While the suction is strong and continuous, you won’t find it overbearing or severe on your surfaces. This feature should give it the edge over many similar models.

When we tested the device on a variety of stains, including pet urine, coffee, and wine, we were very impressed with its effectiveness. We were also happy to note that the drying time after the stains were removed was less than an hour. For these reasons and more, the new Rug Doctor Portable Spot Cleaner should make for a very welcome addition to any modern home.

Buying Guide

Most vacuum cleaners do an adequate job of sucking up the pet hair and larger debris that gets trapped in carpeting, giving you that tidy appearance you want. But anybody who has had their carpets professionally cleaned comes to realize that spending a couple of minutes vacuuming up stray pet hair and some crumbs from your carpet doesn’t actually make your carpet clean. This is because dirt, dust, and debris gets trapped in carpet fabric over time, causing discoloration and other cosmetic blemishes.

Fortunately, there is a wide variety of home-oriented carpet cleaning machines that are designed to make your home’s carpeting go from grubby to gleaming. This carpet cleaner buying guide will help you identify which type of carpet cleaner is ideal for your home, as well as the machine features to look out for when it comes to purchasing the perfect carpet cleaner for you.

Using Your Carpet Cleaner

Before we jump into discussing the different kinds of carpet cleaners on the market, it’s important to figure out why and where you’ll be using your new cleaning rig. For example, do you plan on using your carpet cleaner to wash the carpeting and rugs in your living room before you’re entertaining friends or co-workers on a weekend? Do you have a pet that sheds hair continuously and is not yet bathroom-trained? Or do you have a couple of kids who always manage to spill juice or food on the family room carpeting? Are you a construction laborer who worries about bringing dirt and grime into their house from the job site?

All of these questions pose unique cleaning problems that require different carpet cleaning solutions.

The first thing to establish when it comes to choosing and using the right carpet cleaner is determining how much space you need to clean. If you only have one carpeted room in your house, perhaps a portable carpet cleaner is all you’ll need to get the job done. Alternatively, if you have several carpeted spaces in your home — or if you have one large room that has carpet flooring, opting for a larger, more substantial carpet cleaner is probably a good idea.

Pet owners will be pleased to know that many companies are now selling carpet cleaners that are specifically designed for cleaning up after cats and dogs. These pet-oriented carpet cleaners are outfitted with several cleaning features that make getting rid of pet hair or stains in your carpet from feces or urine a much easier task.

Another thing to consider is whether you plan on utilizing your carpet cleaner on the other floors in your house, too. Many high-end carpet cleaners are also capable of scrubbing wood floors and bathroom tile. This cleaning versatility is why carpet cleaners are becoming so popular with homeowners.

Finding the Right Carpet Cleaner

Now that we’ve determined how you plan on using your carpet cleaner, it’s important to find the ideal carpet cleaning machine that will work best for your home.

Carpet cleaners come in all sizes. The larger, more unwieldy industrial-sized carpet cleaning machines are perfect for cleaning commercial spaces like banquet halls, hotels, schools, and hospitals. For people with more modest cleaning needs, smaller, more home-oriented carpet cleaners are usually split into three categories: Upright carpet cleaners, portable carpet cleaners, and canister carpet cleaners.

Upright Carpet Cleaners

Upright carpet cleaners resemble conventional upright vacuum cleaners, except that the vacuum and suction vent is replaced by a carpet-specific cleaning apparatus that can reach into the deepest crevices of your carpeting. To operate an upright carpet cleaner, simply push it in the same way you would an upright vacuum cleaner. Upright carpet cleaners are a great option for many homeowners because they are lighter than canister-based carpet cleaners, easy to maneuver, quick to clean, and do not take up much storage space.

Portable Carpet Cleaners

Homeowners who want to deep clean their rugs or do not have very much carpeting in their house should opt for a portable carpet cleaner. Portable carpet cleaners are hand-held machines that are a fantastic option for people who want to deep clean their expensive area rugs or detail clean a carpeted area in their home. Because portable carpet cleaners are so light, compact, and easy-to-handle, you’ll have plenty of control should you want to focus on cleaning a very specific portion of a rug or room.

Canister Carpet Cleaners

Far and away the most popular type of carpet cleaning machine, canister carpet cleaners have a cleaning tank, a flexible cleaning hose, and a cleaning nozzle that scrubs carpeting. Although canister-based cleaners require a bit more assembly and operational know-how than portable or upright carpet cleaners, they are great for homeowners needing to clean a large area of carpeting quickly and thoroughly.

Other Carpet Cleaner Features to Look For

Besides determining which style of carpet cleaner works best for your needs, there are other design features built into most cleaning rigs that can make or break your cleaning experience. For example, its extremely important that your carpet cleaner’s cord is long enough so that you can quickly and effectively clean a room without having to plug your machine into different outlets. Cleaning experts suggest seeking out a cord that is at least 15 feet long.

If you are buying a canister carpet cleaner, its important to make sure that your machine’s hose is long enough to clean those hard-to-reach carpeted spots in the corners of your room. We suggest looking for a canister carpet cleaner with a hose that is at least 5 feet long.